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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28791435">A Night of Comfort</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tazia101/pseuds/agerefandom'>agerefandom (tazia101)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Critical Role Regression [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Regression, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode 49: A Game of Names, Gen, Mama!Nott, Non-Sexual Age Play, Panic Attacks, Regressor!Caleb, Unresolved Conflict, agere, cg!Caduceus, involuntary regression</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:27:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28791435</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tazia101/pseuds/agerefandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place during Episode 49: A Game of Names. Caleb and Nott have been fighting, and Caleb is over-exhausted. Caduceus is the one who has to step in and help.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caduceus Clay &amp; Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Critical Role Regression [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Night of Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted on my tumblr account, @agerefandom. I'm always taking requests from sfw blogs for age regression fics!</p><p>I use non-sexual kink tags because AO3 doesn't have a great system for tagging age regression yet, and I hope I can popularize the 'agere' tag for the future.</p><p>I'm only on episode 74 and still getting caught up, so my apologies if this is off-tone for the current show!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All seven of the Mighty Nein are exhausted by the time they get to the Felderwin inn, their rooms for the night already arranged.</p><p>They all gather in one room to debrief, the backpack holding the newly named ‘beacon’ sitting between them as they debate their next move. Caduceus breaths in the atmosphere of tension and uncertainty, glancing around the rough circle they’ve formed on the floor.</p><p>Nott has finally dropped her disguise, her sharp broken teeth in jagged contrast to the freckled halfling she’s been for most of the day. Caleb is sitting with his eyes on the ground and Frumpkin on his lap, hood pulled up despite the heat of the inn.</p><p>Everyone is watching the two of them, even as they discuss amongst themselves. It’s been a long day for everyone, but Caleb and Nott have always shared a special bond. The way that Nott had screamed at Caleb in that cellar, the dullness of Caleb’s eyes ever since, the quiet retelling of his past that Caduceus had only half-heard… the group feels bruised by the conflict, drained by the number of secrets revealed in a day.</p><p>They discuss plans and names and family, but the tension doesn’t dissipate into the easy banter that the group shared on the road before. Jester reaches a hand for Caleb’s knee, and he allows the contact without reacting. His eyes never shift from Frumpkin’s place on his lap, even as he throws the occasional sentence into the conversation.</p><p>“Well, I’m going to bed,” Fjord announces eventually, standing up. “Caleb? Caduceus? Want to group up for the night?”</p><p>“That’d be nice,” Caduceus says.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>,” Caleb agrees, still sounding distant. “Roomies.”</p><p>“We’ll head off, then.” Caduceus also gets to his feet, and Caleb follows suit. Frumpkin climbs off his lap, clearly disgruntled, then vanishes into nothing. “Goodnight, everyone.”</p><p>A cacophony of “goodnight”s follows them into the hall. The four women can divide the remaining rooms between them: no one expects Caleb and Nott to share tonight.</p><p>The three men have shared rooms enough to have a routine. Caleb and Fjord get the bed, as Caduceus rarely fits and sleeps just fine with a pillow on the floor. </p><p>Caduceus pulls a blanket from his rucksack and leans against the wall to watch Caleb organize his books, tucking one under his pillow and opening the other as he begins to trail his silver thread around the room. Fjord goes straight to the bed and barely manages to get his boots off: Caleb is still finishing his spell by the time Fjord’s snores fill the room.</p><p>Caduceus can hear voices through the wall behind him: Jester and Nott have taken the room next-door, and Jester’s voice always carries. She’s chattering about the town and the shame of the buildings burned, clearly nervous in the face of Nott’s continued silence. Caduceus can still remember her face at the meeting.</p><p>“<em>I’m really sorry for everyone</em>,” she’d said, and Caduceus had felt the helplessness in her voice. It was a sentiment that he was familiar with, feeling the heavy history in the air yet being unable to dispel it or lift the weight for the members of their group who were struggling. Caduceus has never liked feeling helpless.</p><p>The mutter of Caleb’s spellcasting suddenly breaks off into silence. Caduceus glances over and sees Caleb kneeling, both hands moving in glowing gestures. As the words stop, so does the shine of the air around Caleb’s hands, and they drop to his sides. The silver thread the wizard had lain around the room doesn’t glow and vanish as it usually did. Caleb mutters something frustrated, running a hand through his hair and pushing back his hood.</p><p>He looks over his shoulder at Caduceus, who blinks back at him calmly. </p><p>“Are you alright, Mr. Caleb?”</p><p>“Fine,” Caleb grits out. “I’m going for a walk.” He stands up abruptly, takes two steps towards the door, and then stops short. He stands there for a moment, his back to Caduceus, the line of his shoulders tense. Then he slowly crumples to his knees, bringing his arms around to hold himself.</p><p>“Mr. Caleb?” Caduceus shifts to kneeling, ready to come forward if he’s wanted. He’s seen this kind of despair, and knows how easy it is to lose yourself in.</p><p>“They’re out there,” Caleb hisses. “It’s not safe.”</p><p>“I can go with you,” Caduceus offers. He needs to get some sleep tonight, but a night walk was never an unpleasant experience.</p><p>Caleb laughs, an unpleasantly jagged sound. “You couldn’t help if they saw me. If they recognized me.” He’s shaking, his breaths coming faster.</p><p>“Can I help you now?” Caduceus asks. His instincts are telling him to get over there and wrap Caleb in his arms, but he holds himself back. Physical contact isn’t what everyone wants, and it’s never safe to assume such things. He’s seen Caleb be comforted by touch before, and he didn’t turn Jester away earlier, but the human has never initiated such contact with Caduceus before.</p><p>Caleb shakes his head side to side, and Caduceus can see that his eyes are squeezed shut. Fjord is still snoring, and Jester’s voice rises and falls in the background. The noises almost block out the sound of Caleb’s broken breaths, but Caduceus can feel each one burn in his chest.</p><p>“Trapped,” Caleb mutters. “Not safe.”</p><p>“You’re safe here,” Caduceus says, drawing each word out, keeping his voice low. “You can rest however you need.” </p><p>Caleb laughs again, choking on the noise as it turns into a sob. Caduceus watches him grit his teeth against the sound, clearly holding back tears.</p><p>“Let it happen,” Caduceus advises. “Let it go.”</p><p>And Caleb begins to cry. The tension of panic leaves his body all at once, and he collapses forwards, still on his knees, his forehead resting against the floor. His tears are quiet, only the shaking of his shoulders giving him away.</p><p>“There you go.” Caduceus stays against the wall as he reassures Caleb, not wanting to crowd him. “Good to let it out. That’s good. You’re safe.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Caleb manages. His voice has changed, something Caduceus has only heard once or twice. Nights when he was supposed to be asleep, but the owls were too loud, and Caleb was with others on watch. </p><p>Jester made no secret of the fact that she was a somechild, containing two ages in the same mind. Caduceus has swung her around as a child, let her climb onto his shoulders and exclaim at how far she can see. But Caleb kept quiet about his own status, never a child in front of Caduceus or the group, only letting his guard down at night. And now that guard has been stripped away from him by exhaustion, leaving Caleb as a child crying on the floor.</p><p>“No apologies needed. Can I help?”</p><p>“Blanket,” Caleb says, voice high and choked with tears. “Please?”</p><p>“A special one, or any old blanket?” asks Caduceus, already gathering his own blanket into his arms. Instead of answering, Caleb starts to cry louder, rocking back on his heels and covering his eyes. Caduceus approaches him slowly, blanket outstretched.</p><p>“Here, Caleb.” Caduceus offers the blanket and Caleb reaches out a hand, twists it into the fabric, and keeps crying. Both hands fist in the blanket, pulling it from Caduceus’s loose grasp. Caleb throws the blanket to the floor and returns to sobbing.</p><p>“No good?” Caduceus pushes the blanket aside and kneels beside Caleb on the floor. “Do you need something else?”</p><p>“Mama,” Caleb sobs. “Mama.”</p><p><em>Oh</em>. Caduceus has heard that too. Nott calls Caleb ‘her boy’ to anyone who will listen, and ‘her son’ when she’s had too much to drink. Caleb smiles at her names, but Caduceus has only heard him call her Mama one night when he was little, and once after a fight when Nott came rushing forward to cradle Caleb in her arms.</p><p>“I can get her,” Caduceus offers. He fears that Nott will be too angry to come, but if Caduceus were Caleb’s caregiver, he would never let an argument with the adult stop him from caring for the child that Caleb sometimes was.</p><p>“<em>Nein</em>!” Caleb shakes his head, reaching out and seizing Caduceus’s shirt to prevent him from leaving. “She… she doesn’t want me!” This time, he bursts into proper tears. Caduceus would be worried about the boy waking Fjord, if he didn’t know that Fjord could sleep through a hurricane.</p><p>“Caleb, that’s not true.” Caduceus stretches out his arms in a wordless offer, and Caleb throws himself into them. His small human body collapses against Caduceus’s chest, so easy to lift and cradle him close. “Hush, child, it’s not true.”</p><p>“She- has- a NEW son!” Caleb wails. Caduceus rocks him slightly, trying to comfort him. “I was- just- <em>nothing</em>.”</p><p>“She loves you.” Caduceus has seen Nott run to Caleb’s side too many times to doubt that.</p><p>Caleb’s voice is quieter when he speaks again. “She yelled at me. She said it was my fault.”</p><p>“She was wrong.” Caduceus sighs, remembering how he’d carried Caleb out of the cellar, the smell of vomit hanging in the air and Caleb dull-eyed and limp in his grasp. “She was angry. She apologized later, she knows it isn’t your fault.”</p><p>“I don’t know.” Caleb’s voice is small and muffled by tears. “She yelled.”</p><p>“She shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Caduceus pushes the hair back from Caleb’s face, revealing his dirt and tear-streaked cheeks “You didn’t deserve it.”</p><p>“I did,” Caleb whispers. “I’m bad.”</p><p>“You’re not bad.” Caduceus presses Caleb’s head to his chest, holding him closer for a moment. “You’re trying very hard. And I’m very proud of you.”</p><p>Caleb makes a sad little sound at that, and puts one hand on Caduceus’s arm. His fingers disappear into the fur.</p><p>“M’sorry,” he says.</p><p>“Nonsense.” Caduceus shifts into a cross-legged position, keeping Caleb in his arms. “There’s nothing here to be sorry for. I’m sorry it was such a hard day. Tomorrow we’ll get some answers.”</p><p>“I…” Caleb’s face changes, his eyes glassing over for a moment. Then he frowns, confused. “Tomorrow?”</p><p>“Don’t worry.” Caduceus continues his gentle rocking. “Tomorrow is for big folks to worry about. The only thing you need to worry about is bedtime.”</p><p>“Bedtime… it’s ten thirty-five,” Caleb says, sounding quite proud of the fact.</p><p>“Is it really?” Caduceus doesn’t have a way to check, but he doesn’t doubt Caleb. “That’s very late.”</p><p>“Not really.” Caleb’s eyes are starting to blink closed, clearly exhausted from the long day, the panic attacks, and the most recent bout of crying. Caduceus uses the soft pads of his fingers to wipe the tears from Caleb’s cheeks, taking some of the dirt with it. Caleb will have to reapply his disguise tomorrow, but for tonight he can sleep without tears on his face. “S’early.”</p><p>“Not for little ones who need to rest,” Caduceus assures Caleb. His eyes drift closed with a little hum of acknowledgment to Caduceus’s words.</p><p>Caduceus sits in the center of the room with Caleb in his arms, rocking him gently until Caleb is fast asleep.</p><p>Then Caduceus carefully gets to his feet, lays Caleb in the bed next to Fjord, and tucks the blanket gently around him.</p><p>He takes his pillow and lies in front of the door. It’s not a magical silver thread, but Caduceus figures he’ll wake up if someone opens the door into his back. Caleb and Fjord’s snores intermingle in the quiet room, and Caduceus watches over them until sleep claims him as well.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm hoping to write a more chill and relaxed follow-up to this fic, set at the Xhorhaus and involving more of the characters. (But I do have about 15 requests in my inbox, so we'll see when I get to personal projects) </p><p>I'm only on episode 74, but Caleb and Nott still haven't talked, and it's so clear that Caleb is afraid that Nott will leave them for her original family, and Nott just entirely stopped treating Caleb as her son since she rediscovered her family and I miss their dynamic so much and Caleb is so hesitant when he addresses her or asks questions about the future and his voice gets all strained and... I have many emotions. This fanfiction can't even hold them all. Let Nott be a mother to Caleb again. Let Nott tell Caleb that she's proud of him. Give Caleb more hugs. This is my thesis. Thank you.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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